Tej Pratap Yadav unfollows Tejashwi Yadav on ‘X’, signalling widening RJD family rift

Ahead of the Assembly elections, family feuds within the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) escalated on Sunday when Tej Pratap Yadav, elder son of party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, unfollowed his younger brother and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav on the social media platform X.

In May, Mr. Tej Pratap had been expelled from the RJD by his father. Last month, he announced the formation of his own political party, Janshakti Janata Dal, and is likely to release the first list of party candidates on October 13.

On several occasions, he has indicated that he no longer has any association with the RJD. His recent action of unfollowing the former Deputy Chief Minister sends a clear signal that he is also distancing himself from his younger brother, who is being projected as the next Chief Minister of Bihar by the RJD leadership.

At present, Mr. Tej Pratap is following five accounts on X, including his political party, younger sister Raj Lakshmi Yadav, mother Rabri Devi, father Lalu Prasad, and actor Riteish Deshmukh. Interestingly, Tejashwi Yadav continues to follow him on the platform.

This is not the first instance of Mr. Tej Pratap unfollowing family members. Earlier, he had unfollowed his eldest sister and Lok Sabha member Misha Bharti, Hema Yadav, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. On September 20, elder sister Rohini Acharya had unfollowed all top RJD leaders on X, including Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi Yadav, Tej Pratap Yadav, and Misha Bharti.

When reporters in Patna asked him about unfollowing his younger brother, Mr. Tej Pratap said, “Don’t ask me such stupid questions, go to social media and see who’s following whom and who is not.”

Mr. Tej Pratap has already formed an alliance with five parties – Vikas Vanchit Insaan Party, Bhojpuriya Jan Morcha, Pragatisheel Janta Party, Wajib Adhikar Party, and Sanyukt Kisan Vikas Party – ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

Through his new political outfit, he has emphasised the inclusion of youth and new faces in politics, attempting to establish himself as a mature leader and a representative of the people. He also announced that he will contest the election from the Mahua Assembly seat, presently represented by Rakesh Raushan of the RJD.

Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) announced that it will release the second list of its candidates on October 13.